Pollution reports can guide improvements

San Joaquin County has again flunked a test of its air quality despite an acknowledgment by those administering it that we are "making progress every year."

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Posted Apr. 29, 2013 at 12:01 AM

Posted Apr. 29, 2013 at 12:01 AM

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San Joaquin County has again flunked a test of its air quality despite an acknowledgment by those administering it that we are "making progress every year."

The American Lung Association's annual "State of the Air" report gave the county, lumped in with south Valley counties with dirtier air, a grade of "F." That grade, by the way, is the most common one given by the association, leaving some to question the validity of the rather narrowly drawn test.

In the most recent survey period, San Joaquin County improved in the number of days considered hazardous for summertime ozone pollution. But the amount of tiny particulate matter - a serious health hazard during the winter wood-burning season - got worse, the association said.

At the same time, a much more broadly drawn measure of pollution by the state Environmental Protection Agency found that of the 10 dirtiest ZIP codes in the state, three - 95205, 95206 and 95203 - are in Stockton.

This survey looks at 11 types of pollution, including pesticides, particulate pollution, ozone and diesel emissions, and seven socioeconomic factors.

We can quibble about the validity of the surveys (certainly officials of the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District don't put much credence in the Lung Association's findings). That doesn't mean they should be dismissed out of hand.

As measures of trends, they are helpful, just as they can and should help guide anti-pollution efforts to areas of greatest need and greatest risk.